Ten years ago, during the dawn of the modern all-electric vehicle with the launch of the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S in quick succession, executives from both companies tacitly admitted that despite key EV advantages in smoothness, zero emissions, cost of fueling and even being able to remote start in one’s warm garage, there were also two extra challenges for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in cold climates: driving range, and overall charging speeds.

These days, longer range batteries, quicker overall charging speeds and more plug-in vehicle options have helped to make winter driving much easier and a realistic option for many drivers, current EV owners and others. But many areas in Canada are still well behind in DC quick charging options, which help especially with those two winter issues.

Most automakers have now declared themselves committed to a zero emissions future for their vehicles, some more enthusiastically than others, prompted by countries such as Canada that have mandated such measures. This is slated to occur by 2035 in Canada, but as early as 2025 (or earlier) in Norway, the runaway global market leader in electric vehicle sales. With 64.2 percent of the entire new vehicle market in Norway consisting of BEVs in 2021 (roughly 92 percent of new vehicle sales if you include plug-in hybrids and hybrid sales to the end of November 2021), Norway is an oil-rich nation that should be a model for Canada that even countries with serious winter weather can embrace modern EV technology.

A study of the early Norwegian EV market found that installing public quick chargers helped increase the adoption of BEVs by roughly 200 percent over five years, by addressing the range issue in both urban and inter-city travel, with the addition of quick charging points every 50 km along major highways. And momentum seems to be building in this direction in Canada as well, after the provinces of Quebec and BC were also early to establish quick charging public networks in those provinces early on, helping to drive BEV adoption in those provinces, along with rebates and more recently ZEV mandates as well.

Electric vehicle drivers in Ontario were super excited to learn in early December that its popular network of ONroute highway stops would finally receive long-promised quick charging capabilities in 2022, as part of the Ivy Charging Network. Ivy is a joint venture between Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which will install and operate quick chargers of up to 150 kW speeds as early as the end of January, with 17 planned to be operational by the summer road trip season, and 20 by the end of 2022. These will cover some of the busiest stretches of highway on the continent, along the 401 and 400 north-south routes.

Such DC quick chargers will very much help with the inter-city travel that has traditionally been more of a challenge for EVs, especially in the winter, as will longer-range batteries and better thermal management systems in modern EVs. Where highway quick charging won’t help nearly as much is with urban drivers who don’t have access to a garage or a regular parking spot with overnight charging abilities.

It’s these drivers that would most benefit from more urban charging capabilities – as would all who work or live in cities, through lower pollution and climate-changing emissions. This could involve simple new 110-volt outlets in street lamps, more street-side Level 2 (240-volt) chargers, or more downtown DC quick charging (480 volts, or Level 3), such as Tesla offers with its Superchargers. 

The success of Tesla is undoubtedly in large part due to its Supercharger network, which is both urban and inter-urban, but unfortunately not nearly as built out in Canada as in the US. If Canada is to successfully reach its goal of all zero emissions consumer vehicles in Canada by 2035, with all the health and climate benefits, more charging commitments in all areas of the country are needed.

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What exactly is energy storage technology?

Energy storage technology captures energy produced and stores it for later use. Energy is stored through a variety of technologies including, but not limited to, pumped hydro, batteries, compressed air, hydrogen storage and thermal storage. The ability to store energy for later use allows increased regulation of the amount of power supplied to an energy system and contributes to the overall resilience of the power grid.

Why do we need energy storage?

Energy storage is flexible and can act as a generation, transmission, or distribution asset – sometimes in a single resource. Energy storage assets can augment any number of resources in an energy system. While energy storage is a great complement to the intermittent generation of renewable assets, it can also respond to fluctuations in grid demand, helping meet peaks in demand, and reducing the need for generators to increase production. Low-cost energy can be stored to supply the additional energy needed during these high-cost peaks, which in addition to increasing the energy available, reduces costs for consumers. Energy storage is also able to serve as a backup if power generation is interrupted, augmenting an energy system’s reliability and resilience, and helping to reduce the environmental impacts of increased energy demands.

How is energy storage useful on a grid scale?

Energy storage’s flexibility and its ability to complement existing systems, offer a range of benefits at the grid level. It improves the overall efficiency of the operation of the grid, helps meet high-cost demand during peak periods, and reduces grid congestion, which can cause damage to the grid. The ability to store this excess energy until it is needed also reduces the need to build additional power generation assets if existing transmission infrastructure may be hard-pressed to meet increases or changes in demand. Energy storage can solve this problem by storing the energy (possibly even sited near the generation source) and moving the energy to where it is needed prior to periods of congestion. Energy Storage also tends to gain less public opposition than more visible powerlines or other power generation projects.

What can we expect to see in terms of innovation in storage technology in the next 5-10 years?

Because energy storage tends to still be categorized as an “emerging technology,” an argument could be made that all energy storage technologies and applications are innovative. However, in the next five to ten years, as the costs of energy storage systems continue to decrease, it’s likely there will be a greater prevalence of all energy storage technologies. It’s possible in that time frame we might also see different battery storage chemistry, or different mechanical storage solutions, such as technologies harnessing kinetic or gravitational energy. Hydrogen storage options are also generating a lot of interest currently, which could present some interesting and innovative energy storage solutions in the coming years. Another area of interest that is ripe for innovation is long-duration energy storage (LDES), energy storage technologies that hold energy for longer periods of time, upwards of 24 hours or more. The great thing about energy storage in terms of innovation is that as ready as many technologies are to be incorporated into existing grids, the solutions today are just the beginning. It’s an area that is ripe for growth and innovation for a long time to come.

What actions have been taken by industry and government stakeholders to advance energy storage technologies in Canada? What more needs to be done?

The provinces in Canada that are ahead of the game (Ontario and Alberta) have taken steps to review existing legislation and regulation, in consultation with industry stakeholders, to identify barriers to the incorporation of energy storage and have started taking steps to remove those barriers. There continue to be conversations surrounding the timelines these provinces have laid out to fully enable energy storage, but they do have a plan or road map in place that provides a line of sight to advance energy storage in their jurisdiction. Other provinces could certainly look to these leading jurisdictions to support the development of similar road maps for their own provinces. In terms of the federal government, federal funding opportunities or guidance could be compelling levers to assist in that task. In terms of energy storage development for Canada, it’s less that more needs to be done and more that the processes being undertaken need to move faster because the energy storage industry is ready to meet the growing needs of Canada’s energy grids and to help Canada meet its net-zero goals!

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Getting cleantech innovations to market can be challenging. KPM Power’s Battery Management Systems are helping to remove major barriers to electrification.

When Karen Lai established KPM Power in 2017, getting lithium batteries to market was a huge challenge. “Dealing with lithium is a very expensive process and a lot of the government funding was being cut at the time,” says the President & Founder of KPM Power, a Canadian company specializing in customized lithium-ion battery solutions. Wanting to help get cleantech companies and alternative energy products to market, she eventually settled on battery management systems (BMS) as the quickest and most affordable way. BMS is an electronic system of hardware and software that monitors and controls the state and performance of the battery.

Only Canadian company with a UL1973 and UL2580 certified BMS

KPM Power’s Anzen line of BMS has a key feature for allowing customization for various applications and battery types and is approved for chemistries ranging from lithium to nickel zinc. This year it received UL1973 and UL2580 certifications for safety for stationary applications (back-up power, off-grid power, vehicle auxiliary power and light electric rail applications) and moving electric vehicles, respectively. Being the only Canadian company to have both certifications not only eases KPM Power’s own entry to the North American market, but also that of its original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers. “It will also open the door to a lot of OEMs out there because it simplifies the certification process and makes it easier for them to get their cleantech to market,” says Lai.

Being a female founded and run company, KPM is eager to support young women and girls in pursuing the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields through hackathons and bursaries. “Right now, girls make up only about 20% of enrolment in STEM programs, so we’re working to help more girls join STEM fields,” says Lai.

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The Solstex^® Solar Façade System enables building owners to generate clean energy, save on electricity costs, and provide community benefits.

We tend to think of traditional solar systems as ground mounted or rooftop mounted projects. However, there’s an argument to be made for integrating them with building facades. “If you’re looking at a high-rise building, for example, you have more opportunity to put solar panels on a façade than you do on the rooftop just due to space constraints,” says Hugh Lowry, Special Projects Engineer at Elemex Architectural Façade Systems, a London, Ontario based company specializing in photovoltaic façade systems.

Solar facades can bring economic, environmental, and community paybacks to a project. They yield cost savings and a return on investment by capturing and turning solar rays into clean energy in the building space. “Along with that, you’re offsetting the possible carbon emissions and providing a benefit to both the environment and the surrounding community,” says Lowry.

While using standard shapes, sizes, and colours is the most economical way to build a solar wall, there may be the odd finicky corner or tricky area that requires something more flexible and customizable. That’s one important consideration when looking into solar facades. Another is the fact that here in the northern hemisphere the south-facing walls are more economical than north-facing walls.

Solstex^® building-integrated photovoltaic façade system offers economical, custom solutions

Elemex’s Solstex^® building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) façade system lets designers and architects incorporate lightweight, large format panels onto a façade and is ideal for new construction and retrofits. The panel surface resembles black glass and integrates well with other surfaces like aluminium plates, sintered ceramic, and natural stone, and works seamlessly with the entire family of Elemex^® façade systems using our Unity^® Attachment Technology.

Solstex^® façade systems are also built to withstand the harshest elements and will soon be available in a new array of coloured panels to include dark grey, light grey, bluish-green, bronze, brass, gold, and orange.  

The post Solstex® Line of Solar Facades Generate More than Just Clean Energy appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden

Lead for BioSciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships, Faculty of Science, University of Manitoba

RNA-based systems, molecular machines, and bio-inspired devices are the future of the bioeconomy. Advancing these technologies from discovery to market can be elusive.

Accelerating scientific discoveries in natural and synthetic biology into deployable products and knowledge requires a collaborative and integrative ecosystem.

The success of RNA vaccines demonstrates that we’re in the golden age of mainstreaming synthetic biology and bio-inspired technologies. This achievement was, however, the culmination of decades of research coalescing under the pressure of the pandemic, and notably was brought to bear outside of Canada. This example highlights the collaborative eco-system needed to advance biotechnologies. An ecosystem that facilitates the interaction of start-ups, SMEs, larger industry, academia and government, and provides access to the equipment and talent available at universities is required. To address this urgent need for this type of innovation and discovery net-work in the prairies, the University of Manitoba recently launched a hub for the exploration of natural and synthetic biology, BioExM.

We are opening the door to partners from all sectors to work together to fast track innovations in synthetic biology and bioengineering through our integrated Learn, Design, Build and Test model.

BioEx^M – Creating a vision for biotechnology in the prairies

Drs. Hans-Joachim Wieden, Lead for BioSciences Entrepreneurship and Industry Partnerships, and Ned Budisa, Canada Research Chair in Chemical Synthetic Biology, were recently recruited to the Faculty of Science at the University of Manitoba and are leading this hub. We had the opportunity to virtually sit with Drs. Wieden and Budisa for a Q&A to hear more about the future of BioEx^M and its role in advancing biotechnology.

What was the inspiration behind the launch of BioExM?

Budisa: Although Canada is now investing in vaccine development and manufacturing, a lack of an existing framework for the advancement of vaccines meant we were left behind in the race for the COVID-19 vaccine. Here, we’re taking a more forward-looking approach by building on the critical mass of research expertise existing in the prairies in synthetic, structural and digital biology to provide biologically-based solutions to myriad challenges in diverse sectors such as agriculture, energy, and medicine.

What would be the benefit of accessing this new hub?

Budisa: Fundamental and cost barriers limit the participation of emerging companies and SMEs in the R&D enterprise. Effectively, we’re bringing partners together by lowering the access barrier and de-risking participation in research. We are opening the door to partners from all sectors to work together to fast-track innovations in synthetic biology and bioengineering through our integrated “Learn, Design, Build and Test” model. 

How to accelerate scientific discovery into deployable products and knowledge?

Wieden:  The Learn, Design, Build and Test model ensures industry can capitalize on the expertise of award-winning researchers, technologies, state-of-the-art equipment, and talent found at UM. Within this model, the discovery of natural biological processes will be accelerated by state-of-the-art technologies and instrumentation, these findings will be interpreted and analyzed (LEARN), which will instruct the (DESIGN) of experiments, technologies or applications. Further advancement is supported by the capacity to (BUILD) the necessary component e.g. genomes, proteins, etc., which will be characterized (TEST), enabling successful deployment. As discoveries and products advance to market, these can be fed back into the cycle and the next phase of analysis, ultimately lowering technology barriers and mainstreaming access to emerging bio-inspired technologies.

Why a discovery acceleration hub at an educational institution?

Wieden: How can you grow an emerging technology without a pool of well-trained potential employees? The UM is a research powerhouse with particular strength in emerging sectors of the molecular life sciences such as RNA-based technologies, synthetic biology, and bio(inspired) engineering. Students here are trained in these emerging trans-disciplinary areas. As we move forward, we envision a maker space where entrepreneurial students, SMEs, and start-ups can develop their ideas and tap into cutting-edge research. Why couldn’t the next “killer-app” be bio-engineered here in Manitoba?

What is the take-away message?

Wieden: We’re open for business and we are inviting our partners across all sectors to come Learn, Design, Build and Test with us.

The solution is in our biology

As a network for the exploration of natural and synthetic biology at the University of Manitoba, BioEx^M hosts a breadth of expertise in synthetic, structural and digital biology. From new approaches to drug design, to biosensors, environmental sustainability, and large data analysis our researchers are providing biology-based solutions to emerging challenges facing our communities and the world. 

Re-imagining the genetic code for smart materials and sustainability

Synthetic protein production has the potential to revolutionize the way we make drugs, vaccines, fuels, and new materials. Although synthetic proteins can be produced by chemical synthesis and in vitro methods, these approaches are complex and produce low yields compared to the production in living cells. Based on an engineered orthogonal translation system in cells dedicated for site-specific incorporation synthetic amino acids, Dr. Ned Budisa has pioneered the production of synthetic proteins containing modified residues at predefined sites. He has incorporated more than 200 amino acids with different side-chain modifications into synthetic proteins using this approach. This expansion of the genetic code enables the possibility for many still unanticipated protein-based technologies Dr. Budisa has dedicated his time at the University of Manitoba in pursuit of applying his protein-based technologies to evolve enzymes and microbes for bioremediation of plastics and organic pollutants, to develop protein-based drug delivery systems, and to engineer biosensors and nanodevices for diagnostic purposes

Using an atomic level approach to predict small molecule design and activity

Computational chemistry approaches to small molecule drug design have been applied for decades, but traditional computational tools have lacked the power to successfully predict activity in light of the complexities of our biology. Dr. Rebecca Davis’ research is at the intersection of chemistry and biology and delves deep into the atomic level to investigate how small molecules invoke their activity based on their interactions with proteins. With this granular information, she then uses high-powered state-of-the-art computational approaches to predict features of other small molecule-protein binding interactions and energies to design improved drugs. With expertise in organic chemistry, Davis’s lab is then able to synthesize these newly improved compounds for experimental validation. This approach to studying small molecule interactions can be applied to a range of areas within and beyond medicine and Dr. Davis has been applying these methods to solve problems in antibiotic resistance, Gauche’s disease, and the toxicity of environmental pollutants.

Bringing diagnostics to the bedside with electrochemistry

Personalized medicine is the future of health care. We are already applying this approach for certain cancers where drugs are chosen based on the specific mutations in the cancer cells, but the time and cost to conduct this level of diagnostic is still a major hurdle for the widespread use of personalized medicine in a number of fields. In particular, the treatment of bacterial infections is often done empirically, meaning that the doctor prescribes an antibiotic based on symptoms alone. This leads not only to possible treatment failure but also contributes to the rise in multidrug-resistant bacteria. Dr. Sabine Kuss, an award-winning electrochemist, aims to reduce the time for diagnostics to a matter of minutes with the development of biosensors that can be incorporated into handheld devices for use in the clinic. Using electrochemistry, these sensors are able to detect substances that cross the outer layer of live bacteria and cancer cells. By detecting which substances, the bacteria or cancer cells expel, scientists can tell whether a cell is susceptible or resistant to a specific medication and therefore can rapidly select the most appropriate drug for treatment.

Developing efficient algorithms to tackle complex problems

As all areas of biological discovery continue to grow and advance, the ability to process and present the vast amounts of data produced has become a critical problem. Dr. Olivier Tremblay-Savard primarily conducts research in comparative genomics, a field where complex biological problems include distance calculations, reconstruction of ancestral genomes, and inferences of evolutionary patterns. Using an interdisciplinary approach involving computer science, biochemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, and evolutionary biology, Dr. Tremblay-Savard develops efficient algorithms to tackle these and other complex problems. With a background in algorithmic, theoretical computer science, human-computer interactions, and gamification, he is able to approach these problems from many different angles and is also able to create user-friendly, accessible, clear, and engaging software.

Predicting antibiotic activity with artificial intelligence

The search for novel antibiotic compounds has traditionally required testing millions of natural and synthetic compounds, which is a time-consuming and costly venture. Dr. Silvia Cardona is a microbiologist collaborating with Dr. Pingzhao Hu, a computer scientist, and Dr. Rebecca Davis, a chemist to develop artificial intelligence (AI)-driven tool to predict antibiotic activity in expansive virtual compound collections to screen for highly active molecules. Dr. Cardona’s unique platform integrates the global cellular response of bacteria to antibiotics with detailed descriptions of chemical structures and yields information on novel antibiotic mechanisms of action. Coupling high-throughput experimental data generation to AI-driven data modeling makes drug discovery automatic and fast.

Uncovering the principles of biomolecular design

Understanding the underlying design principles of biomolecular function enables rational design of new biomolecular machines, or modulating the performance of existing biomolecular machinery within the cell. The rational design of biomolecular function is, for example, of particular interest for the development of new antimicrobial strategies, whereas the modulation of existing machinery enables the construction of next-generation molecular tools such as highly specific biomolecular sensors. Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden specializes in design-focused discovery research with particular emphasis on ribosome-dependent protein synthesis. The ribosome is a megadalton molecular machine that is composed of two types of biomolecules fundamental to life, RNA and proteins. The ribosome and its regulatory factors are at the center of the later steps of gene expression in all living cells. Dr. Wieden uses a multi-disciplinary approach combining classical preparative biochemistry and rapid-kinetics, with advanced structural biology (Cryo-EM) and computational techniques (Molecular Dynamics Simulations) to extract fundamental principles of biomolecular function and to describe, predict and manipulate their performance. This approach is therefore applicable for many biomolecular systems beyond the ribosome, truly enabling the molecular design of next-generation bio-inspired solutions from the ground up.

Leveraging non-coding RNA to forge new cancer therapeutics

RNA has been gaining traction as a promising molecule for not only vaccine development but also for therapeutic development. Dr. Sean McKenna seeks to understand the roles that non-coding RNA play in the regulation of human disease states, with a focus on cancer. He uses a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, and cell biology to identify the biochemical pathways that these non-coding RNAs participate in, and the protein complexes that they regulate. Integration of synthetic biology approaches have allowed the addition of unconventional chemical groups to RNA. These modifications are unique to human cells and allow Dr. McKenna to specifically identify binding partners of non-coding RNA, regulate the levels of specific non-coding RNA, or visualize RNA in a cellular context. Therapeutic approaches with unconventional RNA modifications have the potential to specifically target the non-coding RNA involved in some of the lesser-studied cancer pathways opening new hope for treatment.

Delivering safe and specific pesticides

Most pesticides currently used in agriculture and urban environments are broad-spectrum in their activity and can cause serious adverse effects to non-target species. Dr. Steve Whyard is developing an RNA interference technology that applies double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) to knock down sequence-specific gene expression and offers a new generation of pesticides that are species-specific, and therefore do not adversely affect non-target species. Due to the ease by which new pesticidal RNAs can be developed, Dr. Whyard’s technology could be applied to a vast array of other pests and pathogens of crops, other pests of our homes and urban environments, and other food production systems. His research group is currently developing RNA-based pesticides to control specific disease-carrying mosquitoes, insect pests affecting canola crops, and fungal pathogens affecting several commercially important crops. As an extension of this work they are also investigating novel RNA delivery systems. As the RNA-based pesticides are readily biodegradable and so species-specific, they have the potential to be applied in many food production systems where chemical pesticides are not tolerated, either for health or environmental protection reasons.

Working with Canadian communities for environmental monitoring and bioremediation

Communities across Canada are experiencing the effects of industrial pollutants and climate change. To enable our communities to assess environmental parameters in the most efficient way, Drs. Jörg Stetefeld and Gregg Tomy, founders of the Centre for Oil and Gas Research and Development

(COGRAD), are developing and applying cutting-edge environmental monitoring tools, including gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) for detection of petroleum chemicals like polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs), bioinspired monitoring and remediation tools, and eDNA metabarcoding approaches. Using a broad spectrum of world-class chemical analysis tools in conjunction with innovative applications in the field of bioremediation and monitoring, they are making discoveries across the country from projects in the Alberta Oil Sands to the Canadian Arctic in close collaborations with Environment and Climate Change Canada and members of several First Nation communities.

Notably, using black smoker originating from archaea bacteria nanotubes to detect and filter PAC compounds from the environment, they discovered a new class of PAC compounds in the Alberta Oil Sands, the halogenated PACs. Just recently they have started on an Artificial Intelligence-driven approach to detect PAC binding mechanisms in animal and human PAC receptor proteins. Their vision is to develop an algorithm that allows for an advanced risk assessment of these compounds. 

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Robert DiDiodato

VP of Business Development at anessa

Turning manure into green energy is better than lead into gold. And, with the right software platforms, it’s a lot easier too.

Biogas is the great unsung hero of the green energy revolution. When done right, a biogas plant can turn waste by-products once considered a burden into a high potency energy source that integrates seamlessly with our existing electricity or natural gas infrastructure. Whether it’s agricultural waste, food waste, or even municipal source-separated solid or wastewater, it all becomes fuel for the biogas plant. And, not only is biogas clean and interoperable, it’s also a rich economic opportunity. It’s a triple win.

So why do we hear about it so rarely compared to technologies like wind and solar? Because biogas is relatively new in the North American context and, to be fair, a very complicated and hands on process.  “There is no cookie-cutter solution here,” says Amir Akbari, President and CEO of anessa, a firm based in Canada that provides the industry’s leading Biogas Software platform. “Each project is different from the other project, so you cannot simply duplicate a project that worked before. Each feedstock or waste material has its own characteristics, and those characteristics can change daily, so you need to be able to adapt.”

The time for biogas is now

A process with that many variables can seem intimidatingly opaque to the smaller operators, often farmers and rural municipalities, best positioned to take advantage of the technology. But today’s Canadian farmers are tech-savvy, ambitious, and resourceful. If the tools exist to make a complex task approachable, they will find a way, especially if it lets them transform a regulatory headache into an income stream.

“Provinces in Canada are putting what they call diversion legislation in place, which means that you’re no longer allowed to put those organic materials into landfill sites, because the methane that gets emitted from those landfills is approximately 30 times more harmful than CO2 to the atmosphere” explains anessa VP of Business Development, Robert DiDiodato. “If you can instead convert that organic waste into energy, you turn what could be a legislative hurdle into a financial opportunity. It’s a no-brainer.”

The secret to unlocking each opportunity and taming the complexity of biogas is achieving clarity on the business case by leveraging computational intelligence. The informational storm of variables that determine the feasibility of new biogas projects–and the operational parameters of existing ones–is the natural habitat of AI-enabled software like that offered by anessa.

Feed biomass to the digester, feed data to the software

Modern analytic software can take the endless series of what-ifs that go into the planning and assessment of a biogas project and narrow them down to an easily digestible slate of reports modeling the technical and financial aspects of each project opportunity.  And, once the plant is up and running, the AI can quickly simulate the twisting of all the different knobs, modeling the impact of changes before implementing them. It’s an invaluable planning tool. “A common mistake found in the industry by biogas plant operators is upsetting the bugs in the process either by not feeding the digester properly with the right ratios, or not considering the biological process conditions,” offered Mr. Akbari.  “Our AI equipped technology provides peace of mind for biogas plant operators in their goal to achieve optimal performance without failing the biological processes. The industry has typically settled on stability at the expense of optimization, leaving money on the table.”

What will happen if you change from one feedstock to another? It could be fine, or it could be disastrous to the organic processes inside the biogas plant. Machine learning takes the guesswork away and confidently projects operational results across the entire spectrum of possibilities.

“Our software platform can run millions of scenarios to find the optimal solution in the planning stage of a project, and the optimal conditions at operational biogas facilities,” says Akbari. “The software has machine learning and AI algorithms built into it. It captures data from each plant and models future performance across all variables. This lets the operator make data-driven decisions to optimize for profitability.”

And that’s the heart of it. It is easy to see green energy projects as a greater good in and of themselves. But they take resources to build, they cost money to operate, and they should provide measurable benefit, both environmentally and economically.

“At the end of the day, a biogas plant is a business,” says DiDiodato. “It’s green energy, so it’s warm and fuzzy, but it’s also important to ask how much money you’re going to make, how long it will take to earn back your investment, and what level of carbon savings you can expect. You need to ask if it’s something you can do on your own or if you need neighbouring farms to join in. Those are exactly the kinds of questions our software can answer.”

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Biogas industry leader Fitec is helping its clients to create renewable energy from organic waste.

Creating energy from waste may sound like magic, but it’s 100 percent possible. All over North America, organic material is being converted into biogas — a source of renewable methane gas that can be converted to electricity or heat, or can even be used to fuel vehicles. Though the industry has been around for 20 years, recent growth has been spurred on by government policies geared towards fighting climate change and by industry leaders like Tom Ferencevic, CEO of Fitec Environmental Technologies.

Robust and reliable solutions from an industry leader

“Our current food production system and consumption patterns create a tremendous amount of waste, and so much of it just ends up in landfills,” says Ferencevic. “It’s time we recover this waste and recognize it as a resource.”

This of course requires innovative processing equipment, which happens to be Fitec’s specialty. Fitec’s full-service biogas solutions include a food depackaging system known as the BioSqueeze, a Self-Cleaning Digester, and a pasteurizing system that’s integrated into the digester heating system and designed specifically for abrasive slurries like food waste. The efficiency of the Fitec system is unsurpassed and waste processed by this system produces digestate that exceeds the strictest global quality standards for residual contaminants.

It’s one of North America’s fastest-growing biogas companies, and for good reason. Ferencevic has been involved in the biogas sector since its very inception in North America and understands the complexity of the industry. He prides himself on offering solutions that are robust, reliable, efficient, and effective.

Authentic leadership you can count on

With 30 years of experience in the industry and a hands-on CEO who’s not afraid to get his hands dirty, Fitec is a clear leader in the biogas space. The company’s exceptional designs and high-quality equipment — with innovative German engineering and quality craftsmanship — give it an edge. It also offers turnkey solutions and personalized service that makes use of skilled local professionals.

Ferencevic is known in the industry for being forthright and scientific. “I love digging into the details and helping to teach and empower people,” he says. “My objective is to cut through the nonsense and solve problems. I want my customers to be successful. That’s where my effort goes, and my customers appreciate that.”

It’s time we recover this waste and recognize it as a resource.

Fitec provides solutions for clients in all the main organic waste markets, including farmers, municipalities, project developers, waste management companies, and more.

Capturing lost value

As our population continues to grow both nationally and globally and climate change-related crises accelerate, there has never been a greater need for clean energy. And when we let our organic waste rot in landfills, it is just that — wasted. Fitec is actively fighting climate change by closing the loop in organic waste ecosystems. “Let’s get the organics out of the landfill, recover them, create renewable energy from it, and then put the contaminant-free organics back on the land where they came from,” says Ferencevic.

For municipalities, business owners, and farmers who are ready to do things differently and to create something from nothing, there’s good news. Fitec is here.

The post Fitec: A Leading Biogas Solutions Provider You Can Trust appeared first on HiveInnovates.

Alison Carden

North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital

Data is often the key to making smart and effective decisions for projects. But understanding all the data available can be difficult for many organizations. It’s about knowing the right data points to make the most effective decisions.

“Clients need actionable insights from their data. Recent advances in data science and digital technology enable us to draw accurate and relevant conclusions,” says Nipa Basu, Global Practice Director, Digital Intelligence, GHD Digital. “We can collect and digitize data, potentially build or customize an existing platform to optimize resource allocation, track and mitigate cost overruns, and even calculate and predict ROI accurately. It’s about insight-based decision making and benefiting from the correct decisions.”

It’s about insight-based decision making and benefiting from the correct decisions.

Through business and location intelligence, for example, GHD Digital can create city-wide visualizations, conceptualize zoning and land use updates, and assess the impact of new infrastructure projects. Using scenario analyses or predictive cost modelling, budgets can be built with fewer uncertainties. Project teams might also be able to construct their assets digitally using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other tools to understand specific components. With each data-driven insight, infrastructure cost prediction improves throughout the entire lifecycle.

Finally, communicating with impacted communities is a crucial part of any infrastructure project but is often overlooked. Citizens expect the same level of service they receive from other industries and infrastructure project owners need to find new ways to connect with their communities.

GHD Digital’s Digital Citizen Experience team works with municipalities, police and private sector clients to build digital communication channels and help connect them with their stakeholders, save money, and ultimately be more effective in their operations. GHD Digital recently worked with a large Southeastern Ontario municipality to completely rethink how they make city services available to citizens. Through a customer service portal, they can now offer all their services online while also understanding how citizens engage and interact with municipal-led projects on a completely new scale.

“Adopting a digital-first mindset, leveraging data to provide actionable insights and putting the citizen experience first will make a huge difference to Canada’s infrastructure,” says Ali Carden, North American Practice Director, Digital Citizen Experience, GHD Digital. “We can use digital technologies to completely reinvent how we understand important projects, big or small.”

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Where collaboration meets innovation

Founded in 1926, Graham Construction is one of Canada’s most experienced construction companies and a leader in innovative infrastructure development. “Innovation and collaboration are at the center of how we operate — we have a true partner culture,” says Cecil Dawe, Graham’s Executive Vice President of Industrial and Infrastructure. “We recruit, train, and develop our people to foster a collaborative environment. This results in more successful project outcomes for Graham and our clients, and for all stakeholders.” 

Graham invests in its people through purpose-built learning and development programs that strengthen employees’ commitment to Graham’s culture and core values. These internally-developed programs ensure the business has highly qualified and progressive project teams and is part of Graham’s long-term devotion to innovation, collaboration, and future industry leaders.

This approach generates innovative solutions to complex challenges. During the recent Groat Road Bridge Rehabilitation project in Edmonton, Graham worked closely with its engineering partner to develop a unique overhead gantry crane system to revitalize the 70-year-old bridge. This enabled the structure to remain open to traffic throughout construction while protecting the marine habitat in the river below. Despite its aggressive schedule, the project was successfully delivered on time.

“Innovation is not new to Graham, it’s something we do daily,” says Tom Cole, Graham’s Vice President of Infrastructure in Western Canada. “Our clients recognize and appreciate our abilities to collaborate and innovate, to meet the needs of demanding projects.”

Collaborative contract models are reshaping the industry

Graham is an advocate for more collaborative contracting models. These efforts have included discussions with national and provincial construction associations and meetings with capital project staff at over 80 provincial and municipal governments. Graham provides clients with suggestions for improved public procurement of infrastructure projects, from a constructor’s point of view. This includes recommendations for optimizing Canada’s standard model for P3 (public-private partnership) projects.

“Innovation should never be an afterthought,” says Cole. “We believe collaboration is essential in the early stages of a project because that’s when we discover where everyone’s strengths are, and therefore able to develop innovative solutions together.”

Graham endorses early contractor involvement because it allows for optimal designs to emerge, and early planning to de-risk the construction phase before building commences. Putting these project partners together early in a project’s lifecycle, allows that fusion of knowledge and experience to generate impressive results.

Graham’s track record of collaborative project delivery is extensive. In 2013, the company began working on the first project in Canada to leverage the integrated project delivery model — the Dr. F.H. Wigmore Regional Hospital in Saskatchewan — and is currently working on the first progressive design-build contracts in Canada at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant also in Saskatchewan and the Stuart Lake Hospital Redevelopment (BC). Graham partners closely with its clients, designers, sub-contractors, suppliers, Indigenous communities, and all other stakeholders involved in a project.

Ongoing innovation in technology

“In addition to hiring and developing our people to be collaborators and innovators, we also invest in technology to give our people great tools and systems to help them manage projects,” says Matt Gramblicka, Vice President of Information Technology and Enterprise Applications at Graham.

Graham is currently investing $20 million to integrate industry-leading software into its existing project management system, ensuring project stakeholders have the most recent iteration of technology at their disposal.

This continual investment in improving on-site technology, in combination with its recruitment and training programs, true partner approach, and leadership in emerging contracting models, has positioned Graham as the contractor of choice for clients across Canada. Graham is delivering the solutions to successfully build and replace Canada’s infrastructure.

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Investing in well-designed, constructed, and maintained infrastructure that meets the needs of today — and is resilient enough to meet the challenges of tomorrow — has never been of greater importance.

The events of the past 18 months, from the devastation of the pandemic to the extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding caused by climate change, have amply demonstrated that waiting to repair, upgrade, or build new infrastructure is a recipe for disaster, causing greater economic and social hardships for governments and citizens alike over the long term.

Investing in infrastructure is also a proven way to quickly jumpstart economic activity and to enable greater opportunities for job and economic growth in the future to ensure our communities thrive.

Approaching infrastructure with a mindset open to innovation, like in a P3 project, can also lead to amazing results that benefit the public.

Across Canada, governments at all levels have responded to this crisis with commitments to invest tens of billions of dollars in critical infrastructure projects, from new hospitals and long-term care homes to transformative urban transit, innovative energy, and high-speed internet access for Canadians in communities large and small.

But beyond helping governments achieve their ambitious goals to get shovels in the ground quickly, we also need to examine how we can better harness cutting-edge technology, embed inclusiveness and diversity, and think sustainably in our projects.

A big part of this is considering how to stretch taxpayer dollars further given mounting government deficits and a lack of public appetite for increased taxes, and how to install more rigour in understanding, planning, and budgeting for life cycle maintenance of our infrastructure so it can reliably function for decades to come.

The public-private partnership (P3) approach is particularly well-positioned to rise to the challenge. A significant portion of the infrastructure built in Canada over the past 30 years has been through the country’s globally-recognized P3 model. These partnerships, which most often involve long-term private investment, fuel government procurement efficiency, enabling better use of public funds. Research has also shown that, when used for the appropriate projects, they’re less likely to suffer cost and schedule overruns because of increased accountability and oversight.

Approaching infrastructure with a mindset open to innovation, like in a P3 project, can also lead to amazing results that benefit the public. This includes such things as innovative financing, using drones and robotics, different building materials, and greener technology. Already as a result of the pandemic, infrastructure experts are looking at how to integrate new solutions and flexibility into building hospitals, for example, to make the Canadian health care system more resilient and adaptable in future pandemics. The investments — and innovations — we make now will have a profound impact on enabling the future of Canadian communities from coast to coast to coast to thrive and prosper.

This article was sponsored by The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships (CCPPP).

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